Of SWAT, hostages, Idaho and family
by loozy
Summary: Colby has heard of King, the various stories floating around the grapevine that is the LA Field Office, and realizes that none of what he heard was any exaggeration or lie. Colby, King, Don, Robin.


Title: Of SWAT, hostages, Idaho and family

Author: loozy

Pairing/Characters: Colby Granger, Tim King, Don Eppes, Robin Brooks; Don/ Robin

Rating: K+

Summary: The first time Colby Granger works with Tim King of the FBI SWAT- team is when David is trapped in the elevator with Ben Blakely. He likes the attitude of the other man, the no- nonsense way he has of looking at a situation.

He has heard of King, the various stories floating around the grapevine that is the LA Field Office, and realizes that none of what he heard was any exaggeration or lie. King is a hothead, stubborn, and he knows what he is doing.

Word Count: 1301

Spoilers: up until 5x12

Notes/Warnings: no warnings for this one; this is my first Numb3rs- fic and it is completely unbeta-ed... I wrote it for mustangcandi as a thank you for making me icons of Don Eppes with the flat hair in 5x12, and because I discovered that she also loves Don's buzz cut in season 3;

Prompt/Challenge (if applicable): none

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic. Numb3rs and everybody associated with it belongs to Cheryl Heuton & Nick Fallucci and CBS. I do not intend to make any money off this fic. I'm just having fun.

Feedback: Yes, please. I love all criticism, as long as it is constructed and helpful.

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The first time Colby Granger works with Tim King of the FBI SWAT- team is when David is trapped in the elevator with Ben Blakely. He likes the attitude of the other man, the no- nonsense way he has of looking at a situation.

He has heard of King, the various stories floating around the grapevine that is the LA Field Office, and realizes that none of what he heard was any exaggeration or lie. King is a hothead, stubborn, and he knows what he is doing.

He reminds Colby a bit of Don, which might be why the two of them keep clashing heads.

So he is prepared to like the other guy, has heard so many stories about him, especially this one where Don was heading one of his first situations that required SWAT when he had just joined the LA- team and him and King had a major disagreement in front of everybody, loud enough for the hostage takers to hear them, too. That this actually helped them to subdue the perps quicker was just the icing on the cake, but also is a part of the legends that are both Don Eppes and Tim King.

David told Colby once that King is a bit like the big brother, just without the hero worship.

Most of all, though, Colby likes King because he has the same drawl as him. They are both from Idaho, the same part, even, he discovers after the elevator- case over beers when the team goes out for drinks in the aftermath, the next evening, actually, after David's been cleared by the doctor to drink again, and the whole SWAT- team just happens to be in the same pub.

Colby feels kind of homesick that evening, and so does King, apparently, because they separate themselves from their teammates and hole up in a dark corner, talking about their home state, about their families, about a lot of things that only people from Idaho can relate to.

That night they become friends.

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The next significant time they work together is during another hostage- situation, with John Buckley.

It is a long, tense and tiring day and there are moments when Colby would like to rip King's head off for giving Don a hard time. He restrains himself, knowing that, as tough as he is, Don and King are another matter altogether, and that Don also would not appreciate Colby coming to his 'rescue' when he can hold his own just fine, thank you very much.

So Colby tries to be the in- between, pacifying the two strong personalities without losing his own ground to stand on. Or his balls.

In the office later, both teams are much more calm, the loss of adrenaline coursing through their bodies subduing even the biggest mule. Colby want to just lie down and sleep, for a week, preferably. But reports have not yet managed to write themselves. He has trouble focusing on his writing and the screen in front of him, his mind drifting back over the events of the day.

He gives himself a good shake at around nine pm and looks up around the office. The bullpen has nearly emptied out bar for a couple of agents at the back, King, Don and himself.

Up until now, he never noticed that King's cubicle is on the same floor as theirs, as separated as SWAT is usually from the other FBI- teams.

Huh. Curious. He has to ask King about that.

If he remembers it.

Right now, Colby is glad when he remember where he parked his car in the morning and how to get home.

He can see King's head dropping into his propped- up hand every couple of minutes. Don is more awake but the hunch in his shoulders tells Colby that his boss could use some downtime, too. And a massage. So he subtly takes out his phone and texts Robin to pick up Don and take him home, because otherwise he probably won't leave the office at all. He does not forget to mention the massage.

The same goes for King, sans the massage.

Colby has gotten to know the man better over the course of the last year and he has been able to observe that King and Don are similar when it comes to the ethical approach to the job, meaning that they both stay late, forget to eat and sleep, consumed by their latest case. Oh, the rest of them get absorbed as well, it comes with the turf, but they don't forget to eat. If it was not for the stomachs of the rest of their teams, both leaders would skip meals for frequently than they already do when it gets intense.

Don at least has Robin now, who manages to get through to him in ways that neither the team, not Alan nor Charlie can.

King has a girl, too, Karla, a surgeon currently stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, treating wounded soldiers flown in from Afghanistan and Iraq. So it is up to Colby to make sure the other man actually gets home.

But first things first, and he wants to see Don on his way home.

Twenty minutes of more head dropping from King and Don checking his watch every couple of seconds and the elevator doors blessedly open and Robin walks in, her swift steps carrying her over to Colby's cubicle.

"Morning."

Colby snorts at her wry grin; then he fills Robin in, low- voiced, so that she knows the basics. Why he bothers with the volume of his voice he does not know, but then again, Don and King are always full of surprises and it would not help if they were to observe his mother- hen routine. Don can tell Robin the rest of the case if he wants to. Then again, Robin has a way of making Don talk that is baffling to everybody. Colby actually does not want to know the specifics and he suspects neither does the rest.

"Thanks."

They both get up and head over to Don and King's cubicles respectively. It takes surprisingly little time to convince both team leaders to leave their paperwork for the next day. That just goes to show that they are more exhausted than either of them would ever admit.

In the car, King starts talking, so quiet that Colby has to concentrate to hear him clearly. King tells about his first hostage situation where a fellow agent was killed right in front of him.

There are cases that just hit too close to home. Everybody has them, and Colby mutters, and King grunts in agreement.

"Usually, after a case like this, Karla and me have a lot of sex, or I get drunk."

He makes a vague motion with his hand.

"And since Karla is in Germany and not coming back till the end of the month, getting slaughtered it is."

Colby can only snort to that.

"Don't we all do this."

"I doubt that Eppes does it."

"What, have sex? Or get drunk?"

"Control freak like him, I doubt he ever seriously drinks too much. To unwind, sure, but never more than two beers at night."

"Yeah well, that's Don."

Colby stares out into the night. Dark and deserted streets. Silence.

"You know I have a sixpack at home. You can crash at my place."

"My, my, Granger. I didn't know. I would've shaved my legs had I known we'd make it to third base on the first date."

"Shut up."

They end up at Colby's place, sitting on his living room couch, drinking beer and talking. And then they crash together on Colby's bed because the couch is too small for someone of King's stature to sleep on.

That night, they become brothers.


End file.
